Grapevine plant named &#39;IFG Forty-five&#39;

ABSTRACT

This invention is a new and distinct grapevine variety denominated ‘IFG Forty-five’. The new grapevine is characterized by producing naturally large, broad ellipsoidal, completely black seedless berries which are firm in texture and ripen early in the growing season. Fruits normally ripen in late July to early August near Delano, Calif.

Latin name of the genus and species claimed: Vitis interspecific hybrid.

Variety denomination: ‘IFG FORTY-FIVE’.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

The new and distinct Grapevine plant described and claimed hereinoriginated from a hand pollinated cross of ‘IFG Eight’ (U.S. Plant Pat.No. 23,315) with pollen of the interspecific hybrid ‘IFG Forty’ (U.S.Plant Pat. No. 31,506) hybridized in May 2012. The abortive seed traceswere subsequently embryo cultured and the resulting 148 seedlings wereplanted in the field in April 2013. The present variety of grapevine wasselected as a single plant in August 2014 and was first asexuallypropagated by hardwood cuttings in December 2014 near Delano, KernCounty, Calif. These resulting cuttings produced second generationplants that were planted during April 2015 near Delano, Kern County,Calif. and were observed for four years and found to reproducetrue-to-type.

BRIEF SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

The new grapevine ‘IFG Forty-five’ is characterized by producingnaturally large, broad ellipsoidal, completely black seedless berrieswhich are firm in texture and ripen early in the growing season. Fruitsnormally ripen in late July to early August near Delano, Calif.

To the inventor's knowledge, the known variety which the new grapevinevariety is most similar to is its parent ‘IFG Eight’ but can bedistinguished from the ‘IFG Eight’ by forming fewer and weaker axillaryshoots, having a looser less compact cluster, by having a smaller lessnoticeable seed trace, by having more abundant cuticular wax, by havingfirmer berries which are broad ellipsoid in shape as opposed to obtuseovate shape. ‘IFG Forty-five’ is more consistently productive and hasless tendency to become overly vigorous and unfruitful.

‘IFG Forty-five’ can be distinguished from its pollen parent the ‘IFGForty’ by having a neutral rather than a mild labrusca flavor, by alarger natural berry size, by having a broad ellipsoid berry shape asopposed to the elliptic berry shape of ‘IFG Forty’. ‘IFG Forty-five’ hasa stronger, more lignified stem with better berry attachment and hasbetter storage ability than ‘IFG Forty’. ‘IFG Forty-five is somewhatlike ‘Summer Royal’ (not patented) and can be distinguished from ‘SummerRoyal’ by producing naturally larger berries (about 7.4 grams as opposedto about 5.0 grams for ‘Summer Royal’), by having a broader, moredesirable cluster shape and thicker and tougher peduncle and pedicle.‘IFG Forty-five’ stores better than the ‘Summer Royal’ variety. ‘IFGForty-five’ exhibits very little stem drying, berry shatter or decaywhen stored for up to eight weeks.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWING

The accompanying photographic drawing illustrates in full color ‘IFGForty-five’. The photograph was taken outdoors with indirect lighting.The colors are as nearly true as is reasonably possible in a colorrepresentation of this type. The left side of the drawing has a matureleaf. A mature fruit cluster is represented in the center of the drawingalong with a typical berry in cross section. A young shoot tip can beseen on the right side of the drawing.

DETAILED BOTANICAL DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

Throughout this specification, color names beginning with a small lettersignify that the name of that color, as used in common speech, is aptlydescriptive. Color names beginning with a capital letter designatevalues based upon R.H.S. Colour Chart, published in 2016 by The RoyalHorticultural Society, London, England.

Throughout this specification, subjective description values conform tothose set forth by the UPOV International Union for the Protection ofNew Varieties of Plants publication ‘Grapevine Vitis L. Guidelines’.

The descriptive matter which follows pertains to 4-year-old plants of‘IFG Forty-five’ grown in the vicinity of Delano, Kern County, Calif.during 2018 and 2019, and is believed to apply to plants of the varietygrown under similar conditions of soil and climate elsewhere:

VINE

-   General:    -   -   Vigor.—Vigorous.        -   Density of foliage.—Medium.        -   Productivity.—Productive, producing about 20.3 to 30.4 kg of            fruit per vine.        -   Root stock.—Own root.        -   Training method.—Typically spur pruned leaving 2 bud spurs.-   Trunk:    -   -   Trunk diameter of 4-year-old vines at 30 cm above the soil            line.—Approximately 5.0 cm.        -   Shape.—Moderately stocky.        -   Surface texture.—Shaggy texture.        -   Inner bark color.—Greyed-orange: 166A.        -   Outer bark color.—Brown: N200B.

SHOOTS

-   Young shoot:    -   -   Form of tip.—Wide open.        -   Distribution of anthocyanin coloration of tip.—Absent.        -   Intensity of anthocyanin coloration of tip.—Absent.        -   Density of prostrate hairs of tip.—Sparse.        -   Density of erect hairs on tip.—Absent.        -   Color.—Yellow-green: 144A.-   Woody shoot (mature canes):    -   -   Internode length.—Medium: About 9.6 cm.        -   Width at node.—About 1.0 cm.        -   Cross section.—Circular.        -   Surface.—Striate.        -   Main color.—The following colors were observed: Brown: 166A            and 166B and 166C.        -   Density of erect hairs on nodes.—None or very sparse.        -   Density of erect hairs on internodes.—None.        -   Axillary shoot vigor at full bloom.—Weak, approximately 12.2            cm long.-   Flowering shoot:    -   -   Vigor during flowering.—Strong.        -   Attitude during flowering on shoots not tied.—Erect.        -   Color.—Dorsal side of internodes — Yellow-green: 144B, with            Greyed-purple stripes: 187C.        -   Color.—Ventral side of internodes — Yellow-green: 144B, with            Greyed-purple stripes on a few shoots: 187C.        -   Color.—Dorsal side of nodes — Yellow-green:144B, with            Greyed-purple stripes: 187C.        -   Color.—Ventral side of nodes — Yellow-green: 144B.        -   Density of prostrate hairs on nodes.—Very sparse.        -   Density of erect hairs on nodes.—None.        -   Density of prostrate hairs on internode.—Very sparse.        -   Density of erect hairs on internode.—None.        -   Anthocyanin coloration of buds.—Absent.-   Tendrils:    -   -   Distribution on the shoot (at full            flowering).—Discontinuous.        -   Length of tendril.—Long: About 19.5 cm.        -   Thickness of tendril 2 cm from base.—About 1.9 mm.        -   Color.—Yellow-green: 144C.        -   Form.—Mixture of bifurcated and trifurcated.        -   Number of consecutive tendrils.—2.

LEAVES

-   Young leaves:    -   -   Color of upper surface of first four distal unfolded            leaves.—Yellow-green: 144A.        -   Color of lower surface of young leaves.—Yellow-green: 144A.        -   Average intensity of anthocyanin coloration of six distal            leaves prior to flowering.—Absent.        -   Density of prostrate hairs between veins (lower            surface).—Very sparse.        -   Density of prostrate hairs on veins (lower surface).—Very            sparse.        -   Density of erect hairs between veins (lower            surface).—Absent.        -   Density of erect hairs on veins (lower surface).—Absent to            very sparse.-   Mature leaves (opposite first cluster):    -   -   Average length.—About 11.0 cm.        -   Average width.—About 12.2 cm.        -   Mature leaf size.—Medium.        -   Shape of blade.—Wedge-shaped.        -   Number of lobes.—5.        -   Blade venation.—Palmate.        -   Anthocyanin coloration of main veins on upper side of            blade.—Medium.        -   Mature leaf profile.—Undulate.        -   Blistering surface of blade upper surface.—Absent to very            weak.        -   Leaf blade tip.—In the plane of the leaf.        -   Leaf apex.—Broadly acute.        -   Leaf margin.—Serrate.        -   Undulation of margin.—Slight.        -   Undulation of blade between main and lateral veins.—Slight            undulation over entire area.        -   Shape of teeth.—Mixture of both sides straight and both            sides convex.        -   Length of teeth.—Short: Approximately 4.3 mm.        -   Width of teeth.—Medium: Approximately 7.3 mm.        -   Ratio length/width of teeth.—Medium: Approximately 0.6.        -   Shape of upper lateral sinuses.—Lobes strongly overlapping.        -   Depth of upper lateral sinuses.—Medium.        -   General shape petiole sinus.—Wide open to very wide open.        -   Shape of base of upper leaf sinuses.—U-shaped.        -   Tooth at petiole sinus.—Absent.        -   Density of prostrate hairs between veins on lower surface of            blade.—Very sparse.        -   Density of erect hairs between veins on lower surface of            blade.—Absent.        -   Density of prostrate hairs on main veins on lower surface of            blade.—Very sparse.        -   Density of erect hairs on main veins on lower surface of            blade.—Very sparse.        -   Density of prostrate hairs on main veins on upper surface of            blade.—Very sparse.        -   Density of erect hairs on main veins on upper surface of            blade.—None.        -   Autumn coloration of leaves.—Leaves can be a single color or            combination of colors, in a mottled pattern or on the edges            of the leaves. The following colors were observed:            Greyed-purple: 184A and 185A and Yellow-orange: 22A and            Yellow: 11A.-   Upper surface:    -   -   Color.—Green: 137A.        -   Anthocyanin coloration of main veins (lower            surface).—Strong: Grcycd-purple: 187C.        -   Color of main veins.—Yellow-green: 146C.        -   Surface appearance.—Semi-glossy.        -   Blistering surface of blade.—Weak.-   Lower surface:    -   -   Color.—Yellow-green: 146A.        -   Anthocyanin coloration of main veins (lower            surface).—Medium: Greyed-purple: 187C.        -   Color of main veins.—Yellow-green: 145C.        -   Glossiness.—Medium.        -   Surface texture.—Smooth.        -   Surface appearance.—Semi-glossy.-   Petiole:    -   -   Length.—About 11.5 cm.        -   Diameter of petiole 2 cm from blade.—About 2.5 mm.        -   Petiole color.—The following colors were observed:            Yellow-green: 144D and Greyed-purple: 187C.        -   Length of petiole compared to middle vein.—Equal to slightly            longer.        -   Density of prostrate hairs on petiole.—None to very sparse.        -   Density of erect hairs on petiole.—None.-   Buds:    -   -   Bud fruitfulness.—Basal: mostly fruitful.        -   Position of first fruitful shoot on previous season            cane.—1^(t) node.        -   Dormant bud length.—About 6.0 mm.        -   Dormant bud width in the proximal/distal plane.—About 5.2            mm.        -   Dormant bud color.—Greyed-orange: 166A.        -   Time of bud burst.—About Mar. 21, 2019.

FLOWERS

-   General:    -   -   Flower sex.—Hermaphrodite.        -   Length of single flower, unopened.—About 2.8 mm.        -   Width of single flower.—Unopened: About 2.2 mm. Opened:            About 6.8 mm.        -   Stamen length.—About 3.7 mm.        -   Stamen count.—6.        -   Pollen color.—Yellow: 10C.        -   Pistil length.—About 2.8 mm.        -   Pistil color.—Yellow-green: 145A.        -   Length of first inflorescence.—Medium: About 18.0 cm long by            9.0 cm wide.        -   Position of first flowering and fruiting node.—5^(th) node            (current season growth).        -   Number of inflorescence per flowering shoot.—1.1 to 2: About            2.0.        -   Time of bloom.—Early as compared with similar varieties in            the growing area of Delano, Calif.        -   Date of full bloom.—About May 6, 2019.

FRUIT

-   General:    -   -   Ripening period.—Early to mid-season: Approximately Jul. 20,            2018.        -   Use.—Fresh market.        -   Keeping quality.—Excellent, remains commercially acceptable            when stored up to 8 weeks at 0° C. and high relative            humidity.        -   Refractometer test.—Soluble solids: About 19.2 Brix.        -   Brix/acid.—About 25.9.        -   Titratable acidity.—About 0.74.        -   Juice pH.—About 3.7.        -   Juice color.—Greyed-orange: 177C.-   Cluster:    -   -   Mature cluster length (peduncle excluded).—About 23.2 cm.        -   Mature cluster width.—About 16.4 cm.        -   Mature cluster weigh.—About 677 g.        -   Bunch density.—Loose: single berries loosely spaced, some            pedicels visible.        -   Number of berries.—About 117.        -   Form.—Conical.-   Peduncle:    -   -   Lignification of peduncle.—Weak.        -   Diameter of peduncle.—About 0.6 cm.        -   Length of peduncle.—Short: Approximately 2.7 cm.        -   Color of peduncle.—Yellow-green: 144C.-   Berry:    -   -   Uniformity of size.—Uniform.        -   Single berry weight.—About 7.4 g natural; to about 7.5 g            when treated with gibberellic acid.        -   Shape.—Broad ellipsoid.        -   Seeds.—Mixture of absent to a few small rudimentary seed            traces.        -   Cross section.—Circular.        -   Berry dimensions.—Longitudinal axis: About 2.6 cm.            Horizontal axis: About 2.2 cm.        -   Pedicel length.—About 8.3 mm.        -   Pedicel width.—About 1.8 mm.        -   Pedicel color.—Yellow-green: 144C.        -   Berry firmness.—Firm.        -   Particular flavor.—Neutral.        -   Bloom (cuticular wax).—Strong.        -   Berry separation from pedicel.—Moderate.        -   Skin color (without bloom).—Greyed-purple: N186A.        -   Flesh color.—Greyed-green: 193C.-   Skin:    -   -   Thickness.—Medium.        -   Skin toughness.—Not notable when chewing.        -   Reticulation.—Absent.        -   Tenacity.—Tenacious to flesh.

What is claimed:
 1. A new and distinct variety of grapevine plant asherein illustrated and described.